Indian women’s cricket team captain, Harmanpreet Kaur, has drawn significant criticism from the cricketing world due to her unruly behavior during the third ODI against Bangladesh. Following her dismissal, Harmanpreet smashed her stumps and launched a scathing attack on the umpires publicly, leading to her suspension for two games and a 75 percent fine of her match fee for breaching the Code of Conduct, as per an ICC release.
Former Pakistan captain, Shahid Afridi, has also joined the voices criticizing her actions. He expressed that Harmanpreet should have been fined 100 percent of her match fee as her behavior crossed the line. Afridi emphasized that such incidents are not limited to India alone and have been witnessed in the past, though such behavior is rare in women’s cricket. He believes that setting an example with appropriate punishment is essential to deter such actions in the future.
Due to the accumulation of four demerit points, Harmanpreet received an automatic suspension for the next two limited-overs games. The ruling states that a player with four demerit points must miss one Test or two ODIs or two T20Is, whichever comes next.
Unfortunately, this suspension coincides with the Asian Games, where the Indian women’s team has already qualified for the quarter-finals. Harmanpreet’s absence will be keenly felt during the knockout games. However, if India manages to make it to the final, she will be eligible to play.
